Problems and tribulations make many of us act impetuously and do things that could potentially worsen the situation. Psalm 46:10(NLT) tells us, “Be still, and know that I am God!”, Psalm 37:7 also says, “Be still in the presence of the LORD, and wait patiently for him to act.” These verses do not mean that we are to sit with our hands tucked beneath our laps and do nothing to help our situations. They mean that we should do nothing before we seek God’s guidance and leadership. We should continue to seek Him until we are confident we’ve heard from Him and have instruction regarding how to move.
God knows who you are, what you are, what you’re facing, and the resources at your disposal. He knows the timing of everything that has happened in your life, and He is fully aware of what is happening right now. If you needed to be in another place or space, you’d be there. You are strategically positioned right where you are. This is a critical truth that is required to walk by faith. Hearing from God first, and moving according to His divine directives are the only moves we are to make.
YOU ARE LOVE
You are love! It’s what you were created to be, it’s WHO you are created to be, and living love is what you were created to do. Living love is a full-time occupation. There is no down-time, and there are no days off. You wouldn’t want there to be. Acts 17:28 tells us that we live in God, and it is in Him that we move and have our being. Well, how does God move. He moves through faith. We are to do exactly the same thing.
God is a God of action. Believing is action. And acting on our believing is a must! Jesus Christ said in Matthew 5:16 that we’re to let our lights shine before others, so that they can see the good work we’re doing and glorify Heavenly Father in heaven. He also tells us in Luke 6:44 that every tree is known by the fruit it bears. You and I are the trees. We’re in the fruit producing business. If you’re doing what God has called you to do, there will be some fruit; there will be some evidence of your good work in the form of lasting and positive Christ-kind of outcomes in the lives of others. You have been endowed with every spiritual accoutrement to get the job done. Ephesians 1:3 testifies that God has blessed you and me with EVERY spiritual blessing in Christ. God supplied everything that we need to triumph and reign over our lives and to minister to others as well. Ephesians 2:10 tells us that we are His masterpieces, created in Christ Jesus to do the good works that God ordained for us to do. So, when we say we don’t know what our purpose is; when we say we can’t do any more than what we’re doing now for the Kingdom; we are in effect saying that what God gave us isn’t enough. That could never be true. The truth is that we’re not using what He gave us.
Love cannot be stagnant in us. If it is, we have misfires, hiccups, and missteps in life. And it’s because we’re not doing what we were created, destined, and ordained to do. A person might think, “God’s goodness isn’t based on what we do. We shouldn’t have to work to warrant His blessings.” Love is energy in motion. Love does not sit still. It’s not ineffective. The work of love is a privilege. It’s the highest honor imaginable to aid the Kingdom. Look at the CREW we’re running with, Christ and Holy Spirit. They are our running partners. You can’t hang with them and not have fire in your belly to do God’s work. In Mark 10, a wealthy man approached Jesus and asked what must he do to inherit eternal life. Jesus replied in Mark 10:21(NKJV), “Then Jesus, looking at him, loved him, and said to him, “One thing you lack: Go your way, sell whatever you have and give to the poor, and you will have treasure in heaven; and come, take up the cross, and follow Me.” Following the example Christ set for us is the key to walking with his kind of faith.
YOU ARE THE EVIDENCE FAITH REQUIRES
In Mark 11:23(NLT), Jesus Christ taught, “I tell you the truth, you can say to this mountain, ‘May you be lifted up and thrown into the sea,’ and it will happen. But you must really believe it will happen and have no doubt in your heart.” Jesus Christ is telling us about the power that God has bestowed upon the believer. He told us that we can open our mouths, speak to a mountain, and the mountain would have no other choice but to obey IF we really believe it and don’t have any doubt in our hearts. Who does the speaking? WE DO! You and I are responsible for confessing the Word. You and I are responsible for believing the Word, and you and I are responsible for making sure that doubt is nowhere to be found in our hearts.
Jesus is speaking directly to us because we are the ones with the faith. It’s YOUR heart that does the believing; YOUR mouth that does the confessing. FAITH is in YOU!
God tells us in Genesis 1:26 that we are made in His image and likeness. He has empowered us through the Lord Jesus Christ to make things happen on this earth. He’s given us a part of His creative ability! We can speak, and things will cooperate, coagulate, congeal, and conspire to manifest. The faith that is necessary to move a mountain is already in you through the Lord Jesus Christ. With most of us, the missing element is our right believing.
We have faith that God is all-powerful, all-knowing, everywhere present, and sovereign, but we don’t have faith that He works within us to will and do of His good pleasure. God wants to move in us in a greater way, and we’re blocking His access! When we examine our own lives, most of us would declare that we are doing enough for the Kingdom of God, but IF we are praying for the same thing year after year, without any movement in our circumstances, the evidence points to the reality that we’re not walking in our destinies. God is not punishing us for not walking in destiny, but He is committed to see to it that we do. Why is it so important to Him? One of the reasons that it’s important that we fulfill our purpose and walk in destiny is because that’s where our rewards are. God wants you to have all that He has stored up for you.
He tells us in Hebrews 11:6 that He is a Rewarder of diligent effort, and the honest truth is that many of are not putting forth the diligent effort, yet we still expect God to reward us as if we are. That’s a big chunk of meat to digest. It’s hard for some of us to swallow, but swallow we must if we expect to go higher.
Here’s the big critical truth, and we’ve got to see the revelation of this: We look at our problems and ask, “Lord, why?” We see them as mountains we can’t get over, and we keep begging God to fix them. He hears us, but you can’t see your problems bigger than you see your ability to triumph over them. YOU are the one with the faith! Jesus said IF YOU SPEAK…IF YOU DOUBT NOT…IF YOU BELIEVE!
YOU are the evidence of YOUR faith!
You can’t be the person you were last week. Her believing was too small to match the woman you are today. Her LOVE was too small to match the woman you are today!
Ephesians 2:10(NLT) says, “For we are God’s masterpiece. He has created us anew in Christ Jesus, so we can do the good things he planned for us long ago.” God has planned good things for you to do and have. Remember always that you were appointed to good works. God created you for a specific purpose, and no one can do what you do, quite the way you do it. If you don’t do it, rest assured someone else will, but God wants YOU to do it so YOU can receive the reward.■
Scripture taken from the New King James Version. Copyright © 1982 by Thomas Nelson, Inc. Used by permission. All rights reserved.
Scripture quotations marked (NLT) are taken from the Holy Bible, New Living Translation, copyright © 1996. Used by permission of Tyndale House Publishers, Inc., Wheaton, Illinois 60189. All rights reserved.
“Evidence Your Faith Requires” written by Reverend Fran Mack, edited by Kim Times for Sundie Morning Sistas ©2018. All rights reserved. All done to the glory of God through Jesus Christ, our Lord! SMS is dedicated to inspiring and encouraging Christian Women through the Word of God.